Former Stanley Kubrick Intern Reveals Just How Insane and Obsessive the Filmmaker Was

If you're a film geek, or you've seen Stanley Kubrick's Boxes, then you know the master director was an obsessive filmmaker, monitoring every detail with the precision of a drill sergeant. The 2008 documentary reveals that Kubrick kept over 1,000 boxes overflowing with photographs, film reels and other materials that the director would meticulously track and organize to keep tabs on all his projects. Other stories abound about his controlling methods, but 14 years after his death, it's still clear that his dedication and neuroses paid off.

An article on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) blog called A Summer with Stanley Kubrick dives into more of the director's rigorous ways. Tim Deegan, who is currently the director of guest services at LACMA, wrote about his time as Kubrick's summer intern during the 1968 release of the filmmaker's space epic 2001. As Deegan explains, "Very few filmmakers had ever achieved that level of control and power over how their movies were marketed and exhibited." Kubrick was clearly different. "I was being paid by the studio to work for him as an auditor to uncover their deficiency and tell him," Deegan relates. Yes, Kubrick had absolute power.

The former intern goes on to share an amusing, eye-opening story about his daily routine. Deegan was required to keep measurements of all the newspaper ad spaces (with a freaking ruler!) to make sure Kubrick was getting what the studios promised. When he didn't, Kubrick had the proof he needed and insisted they make up the difference. Deegan tells it best, along with a crazy tale about trimming film reel in a projection booth, so head to LACMA's blog to read his account in full. Minds will be blown.

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